Northwest Tech recognized

In its first step to identify the nation’s best community colleges and award $1 million in prize money, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program today ranked Northwest Kansas Technical College as one of the nation’s 120 best community colleges. Northwest Tech will now face the challenge to compete for the Prize funds (to be announced in December 2011) by insisting on high standards for learning, college completion without delay, and serving as a training ground for jobs that pay competitive wages.

Recognizing community colleges like Northwest Kansas Technical College sends a message to others that aspire to excellence, while encouraging Northwest Kansas Technical College to apply for the nation’s top community college prize. Northwest Kansas Technical College must demonstrate that it delivers exceptional student results, uses data to drive decisions, and uses that information to continually improve over time. Aspen will conduct site visits to each of the ten finalists in the fall. And, based on the evidence, the Prize Jury will select a grand prize winner and two to three runners-up, to be announced in December.